Kaelan Glass — Science Leadership Academy @ Beeber

Q4 Final Project Submission

Posted by Kaelan Glass in Art 2 · Hertz · C1 on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 8:27 am

For my Q4 project, I decided to create a 3D sculpture of a city made of out nothing but pencils. The sculpture includes 3 buildings with interesting structures in between each building. The pencils are held together by glue and sit on a cardboard foundation. I wanted this sculpture to communicate the idea that our society is slowly evolving before our very eyes. I wanted to show that today’s buildings may be there at the moment, but today’s technology shows us that tomorrow could be a very different story. I include the “X” shaped pencils to hint at the fact that change is coming to our society’s infrastructure but it is still a mystery.

In order to create this sculpture, I need material to represent to final product, something to hold the material, and something for the material to stand on. For these reasons, I used pencils, hot glue, and a sheet of cardboard. Pencils are very tall and narrow so I knew they would be great for representing buildings, the hot glue was the most efficient way of holding the pencils together, and the sheet of cardboard was the most accessible form of a foundation I could find. In terms of relation to my previous projects, this project reminds most of when I created a 3D sculpture of an hourglass. I say this because I was used smaller objects to create one large object, like I did with the pencils.

To create my 3D sculpture, I first did a preliminary sketch what the finished product would look like. This sketch included a combination of different skyscrapers and buildings. I then opened a pack of pencils and began gluing them together with the hot glue gun. I went about creating the sculpture building by building, gluing each structure to the cardboard once it was finished. The artist who inspired me to do all of this was Tara Donovan. She is a minimalistic artist known for creating large structures out of nothing but household items. I was examining her work when I stumbled upon ounce of her sculpture of a city of pencils. It inspired me to try my very own take on the sculpture that was unique and similar to hers at the same time.

In terms of technique, I think using hot glue to hold my pencils together was the very best choice. I say this because hot glue not only dries fast, but has a clear color and is somewhat difficult to spot from a distance. It allowed my sculpture to look alot less tacky then it would if I had used regular glue or tape. Using the hot glue gun at all was a new technique I had to get accustomed to. The hot glue had to be spread in between each pencil for them to stick together properly, so I had to practice aiming the glue gun in the perfect position.

One thing I am proud of in terms of this project is completing it in a reasonable amount of time. Due to issues with the glue gun early on, I was worried that the issues would put me at risk of not being able to turn it in on time. Luckily Ms. Hertz took care of the problem which allowed me to once again work efficiently and complete the sculpture. If I could change anything about the project, I would get a bigger sheet of cardboard and make an even large city with more variety when it comes to buildings.

In conclusion, I think I did my very best to create a 3D sculpture made up of nothing but pencils and glue. I feel as though I was very successful in creating work that mirrored the work of an artist that I studied for quite some time. I would surely complete a project like this in the future if I had the chance. I learned that when little things come together, it can make something big and beautiful.

Kaelan Glass, Aliya Rouine Capstone

Posted by Kaelan Glass in CTE Senior Capstone Project · Elish · ILP/TFI/CAP on Monday, May 14, 2018 at 4:25 pm

Adam discusses his experience with Peer Mediation.

Jada discusses her experience with Peer Mediation.

Adam gives a lesson on the conflict cycle.

Adam, Olivia, Aliya and a volunteer roleplay a scenario where their characters are in a conflict with one another.

Working on this project was much more than just a capstone. I received an opportunity to be apart of building a program capable of helping people solve their day-to-day issues. In the process, I became more capable of acknowledging my own conflicts and how to deal with them accordingly. Over the course of this project, I learned that there’s a thought behind every action, no matter how small or large. I also learned that active listening is key when you’re trying to encourage someone to communicate. In addition to these things, I learned about the six dimensions of wellness and how they shape our state of mind. It’s safe to say that I’m now more skilled in the art of problem-solving, whether the issue is my own or someone else’s. Week after week we learned more about what it means to be a peer mediator and talk to people about serious matters. It is because of all this that I believe Ms. Fanning truly gave me the chance to contribute to the community as a whole and to improve my capability as a person. It was an honor working with Aliya and the other peer mediators for the past few months. Our rigorous commitment to the project helped create the pristine product you see now. We’ve laid the foundation for an excellent program to be introduced as part of SLA’s counseling initiative. Now we can only hope that we inspire Mr. Johnson to first take a good look at what we’ve created, and then embrace it for the betterment of the SLA community.

Material recorded and created during the process of the project can be found above.

Q2 Final Project Submission

Posted by Kaelan Glass in Art 2 · Hertz · C1 on Monday, January 22, 2018 at 12:53 pm

For my my project, I created a three dimensional sculpture of an hourglass. The hourglass is made up plastic and cardboard and completely stands on its own. It’s complemented with a brown paint that gives the cardboard a wood-like aesthetic. I wanted this sculpture to communicate the idea that you do not have to be a skilled architect or professional to make something beautiful. I believe the greatest things can be made with the simplest tools. The hourglass also represents how fast time flies when we’re not paying attention. Time is always of the essence, so we must take advantage of every moment.

For my materials, I used two plastic water bottles for the “glass” portion of my hourglass and cut them in half to make a symmetrical encapsule. Once I cut them in half, I used saran wrap and tape to cover the the bottom and exterior of the bottles and give it a somewhat exquisite finish. I then carved a hole in each of the two caps to allow the sand-like material (sugar) to repeatedly pass through the bottles as much as necessary. I then used the hot glue gun to glue the two caps together to secure the bottles and prohibit any material from slipping out of the bottles. I then filled the bottles with the sugar and put each of caps on the bottles, and the hard part was over. Lastly, I cut two circles out of cardboard and glued them onto the top and bottom of the hourglass. This was meant to be the frame of the hourglass. I then painted the cardboard and the caps of the bottles and completed the hourglass.

The only similar work I can remember doing is a science project where I tapped two bottles together to show some type of chemical reaction. However, that project was nowhere near as extensive as this project. I was inspired by an artist by the name of Lorenzo Quinn who made a very impressive three dimensional sculpture. Here’s a link to his work: https://www.lorenzoquinn.com/sculptures/. While completing this project, I learned that is important to be efficient in the way that you secure any material inside the bottle to guarantee that is does not get out. Making this a priority will save you a lot of stress and make for a more impressive project. I also learned a lot the use of the hot glue gun throughout this project and the tip that is important to attach the glued material to its desired location quickly before the glue dries. I can honestly say I ran into this problem at least once.

In this work, I am most proud of the fact that I made an hourglass out nothing but household materials (and a glue gun). It made me feel like I really took advantage of my creativity and allowed my imagination to run wild. There’s honestly nothing I would change about this project because I feel as if I was given the freedom to make whatever I wanted. In conclusion, I learned to how to create something as complicated as a hourglass using affordable materials and the guidance of Ms. Hertz. This is project I would complete again if I had the opportunity, because of my fascination of building and the process that comes with it.

Final Portrait Project

Posted by Kaelan Glass in Art 2 · Hertz · C1 on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 8:20 am

In this portrait a created a visual representation of a crime scene. I used regular pencil for the outline of the whole portrait and a black sheet of paper to transfer the portrait from my sketchbook to a small sheet of paper. I included a chalk outline of dead body surrounded by bright yellow caution tape and picket signs. The picket signs read “Black Lives Matter” and “City of Brotherly Love”. I also included a police car because I felt the crime scene would be empty without it. I used color pencils to give the objects its main color and markers to trace over the different objects and bring them to life. I used a needle eraser to draw the white outline and make it look as realistic as possible. I used a black pencil to color in the ground surrounding the chalk outline. I used yellow pencil and marker as well as black marker to draw the caution tape and the headlights on the police car. I used brown pencil and marker for the handles of the pickets signs and black marker for the writing on them. I drew the police car with blue and red pencil and marker for the body, sirens, and writing on the side. I used black pencil and marker for the tires of the car.

The point of this portrait was to highlight the trend we see in today’s society where a black person is killed by a white cop and suddenly “black lives matter”. However, when a black man is killed by someone of the same color, suddenly black lives don’t matter. I included the picket sign titled “City of Brotherly Love” to contradict the black lives matter sign because I feel as though we can’t say white cops are the problem when we are out killing each other everyday.

I want this to portrait to make people reflect upon themselves and see that we need to address the core problem of black on black crime before we address the problem of police brutality.

The last I created a portrait with this much detail was when I drew a famous car from “The Great Gatsby”. Just like my current portrait, it started off as a pencil drawing and then I added color with the help of color pencils and markers and brought the drawing to life. It is a portrait I am most proud of because I put a lot of effort into it and was very satisfied with the end result. I am proud of my current project because in my opinion it makes a statement I think the whole world needs to hear.

One technique I learned while creating my portrait was the use of a needle eraser. It allowed me to create my chalk outline as neatly as possible. I feel being neat and precise is an integral part of creating art. There is honestly nothing I would change about this project because of the amount of freedom I had to create whatever I wanted. An artist by the name of Edward Rhea Hemphill inspired me to make this portrait. His work can be found at http://art.blacklivesmatter.com/blackfuturesmonth/. In conclusion, this project taught me that art really can speak to you if you listen with your eyes instead of your ears.